The present invention relates surgical instruments and particularly to an instrument for deploying devices such as surgical wire snares and wire baskets in procedures for removal of polyps in the colon, for the retrieval of polyps after polypectomy, and for endoscopic removal of gall stones, stents or foreign bodies. The instrument is useful in a variety of applications wherein a device is manipulated through reciprocal and rotary motions by an output shaft forming part of the instrument. In particular applications, the instrument is useful for imparting reciprocating and rotary motion to snares and baskets used in surgery which are specified for the purpose of illustrating and describing the invention.
Wire snares and baskets comprise a sheath usually of Teflon encasing a wire passing through the sheath and extending from both ends thereof. The near end of the sheath is secured to an instrument for moving the wire back and forth in the sheath so as to open and close a snare or basket formed at the far end of the wire beyond the far end of the sheath. An instrument also orients the snare or basket by rotation of a wire within its sheath. In deploying snares and baskets in a surgical procedure, a hand-held instrument is used to orient, to open and to close snare or basket for a specific task.